Monday, June 30, 2014

Ulysses S. Grant Expelled Jews From Their Homes During The Civil War

Another neocon hero is revealed to be a hater of free trade and,on top of that, anti-Semitic .

I just came across this interesting fact. According to NYT , the book, When General Grant Expelled the Jews, reports that Ulysses S. Grant issued General Order No. 11 on December 17, 1862, which evicted Jews from certain parts of the country based on Grant’s belief that they were running a black market cotton trade between the North and the South. In part, the order read, “The Jews, as a class violating every regulation of trade established by the Treasury Department and also department orders, are hereby expelled from this department [various areas, including parts of Kentucky] within 24 hours from the receipt of this order.”

From the NYT review:

[T]he incontrovertible part of the story is that the perception of profiteering in Paducah, Ky., and his tendency to use the words “profiteer” and “Jew” interchangeably, provoked a written outburst from Grant, commander of the Territory of the Department of the Tennessee, which included Paducah.

As a result of an outcry from Jews that included stuff like this:

Isaac Leeser, editor of The Occident, a Jewish publication: “Why are tears shed for the sufferings of the African in his bondage, by which his moral condition has been immensely improved, in spite of all that may be alleged to the contrary, whereas for the Hebrews every one has words of contempt or acts of violence?”